Instagram Is About to Start Adding Politics Back to Your Feed (Here’s How to Block It)
Do you like your Instagram algorithm , but don’t like that it’s missing political posts from accounts you don’t follow? You’re in luck: starting this week in the US (and next week for the rest of the world), Meta will start adding political content to your Instagram and Threads recommendations by default .
If you’re thinking, “Hey, didn’t Instagram take a completely opposite approach to this situation last year?” you would be right. In February 2024, the company announced that it would not explicitly suggest political content from accounts you don’t follow. If you haven’t actively sought out this content, you can safely browse the app, leaving the option to check your interests out of politics.
However, it is no longer February 2024. January 2025 is a very different time for Instagram, Meta and the US. As Mark Zuckerberg radically changes the policy regarding what you can say on Meta platforms, Instagram (and by extension, Threads) are changing as well. Adam Mosseri, head of Instagram, took to Threads to announce the changes , saying that while he still doesn’t believe Meta should show political content to people from accounts they don’t follow, “a lot of people have made it clear that they need this content.”
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Indeed, it seems like my Instagram settings are already upside down, but my Threads settings haven’t changed yet. (But I have no doubt it will.) Without intervention, you’ll likely start seeing more political content that may make you angry, upset, worried, or upset. Luckily, there is something you can do about it.
Removing Political Content from Your Instagram and Threads Feeds
Let’s start with Instagram: Open your profile, then tap the hamburger menu in the top right corner. Scroll down to the What You See section, then select Recommended Content. Here, click on “Political Content” and you’ll find three options: “Standard” is the default, which shows “some” of the political content on offer; See more for more political content if that interests you; and “See less” is the option you need. Even though the option has the word “less” in its name, Instagram says it won’t share political content with you when it recognizes it, so this should be enough to remove most of the content you’ve come into contact with.
However, if this is not the case, back from this page, tap the switch next to Snooze Suggested Feed Posts . This type of content will be removed from your feed for the next 30 days. It’s not ideal, but at least you have a month of peace.
These parameters must be present in streams in much the same way, but their access is slightly different. Go to your profile again, then tap the hamburger menu. Only this time, select “Account,” then “Political Content.” Right now I’m still seeing the old Suggest Political Content setting, which is disabled by default.